Let Me Fall
by Broody-N-Cheery-4Ever
Summary: Oh God! Am I dead again? Phoebe muttered looking at her comatose self, then instinctively called out to her sisters, They won't hear you, said a numbingly familiar voice... PhC.. Rated T just in case..
1. Undeniable Feeling

Hey Guys! This is my first Charmed story... Please be kind :)

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**Chapter 1: Undeniable Feeling**

"Oh my God, Phoebe! I think we're going in circles, because I swear I just saw that same mattress!" Paige exclaimed.

"That's because every dumpster, in every alleyway we've been to in the past seven years has one. They all start to look the same after a while"

"What's up Phoebe? I mean, you're not your usual upbeat, demon ass kicking self, and I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever."

It was true. Paige had noticed that Phoebe hadn't been herself in quite a while. The past two years hadn't been easy on her either, what with having to vanquish her husband and unborn child because of evil and having to give up Miles and Jason due to magic. Almost losing her nephews also meant that being a witch was a losing battle. Paige had to admit it, luck was never on Phoebe's side. And now, that night, Phoebe's latest love interest was going to die. Paige just wanted to know how her sister was feeling.

"I don't know Paige, it's just…" Phoebe was trying to come up with a conclusion of her own, "Drake's leaving tonight and I was hoping to spend his last day with him, but no, we had to get home early because Leo had to get abducted by the Elders and there had to be a demonic attack!" Phoebe said, almost in one breath, yet getting more upset with each syllable.

"I'm… ahh… sorry, Phoebe. I didn't think you would get upset. I'm sorry for having to orb you home early but we couldn't help it that Piper and Drake had to go find Leo, and then you had the premonition of the demon attack. We couldn't very well ignore an innocent." Paige said nervously, she didn't want Phoebe to become more upset.

But her sister let out a slight giggle, "I'm sorry too, Paige. I didn't mean to freak out before. I've just been under a lot of stress lately. You know, with the whole daughter premonition and all. Hey, do you see any innocents around here?"

"No I don't, but this was the place that showed when we sryed for her. Maybe she's around here somewhere. So about this whole daughter/premonition thing, do you have any idea who this little girl's father could be?" Paige and Phoebe continued walking through the alleyway looking for any sign of an innocent.

"I have no idea, I mean… yeah, I've tried speed dating and catching up with old acquaintances but I haven't made a connection with any of them."

"Maybe you're looking too hard, or have your standards set too high? Maybe you're still trying to find what you had with Cole?" Phoebe looked at her with a warning glance, "Just grasping at straws here," Paige added innocently.

"I'll let that one slide," Phoebe told Paige, glancing at her with a humorous sly, "The fact is, I'll never find what Cole and I had, ever. But that also means that maybe I don't want to. What Cole and I had was beautiful at one point. At the time I had never been more in love, God, I've still never been more in love! But at the same time, it was the most painful thing I had ever experienced. That and losing Prue. Plus, that's not the point. The point is that according to my premonition, I should be pregnant in less than a month and I haven't even met the father of her yet! So, in reality I am…"

"The innocent," Paige cut in.

"Ha ha ha, I'd hardly call myself an innocent! I was gonna say 'screwed'." Phoebe laughed.

"Nooo," Paige turned her sister around so that she could she a woman who was standing behind her, "The innocent."

"Ohhh," Phoebe nodded while grinning.

"Hello there," the young woman greeted them, "My name is Caroline Davis, I'm here on the behalf of the San Francisco Homeless shelter. If you would like to take these," she handed them each a flyer, "There's an address you can contact if you are ever in need of a place to go."

"Hi, I'm Paige, and I'm wearing lip gloss. Do I look like I'm homeless?"

Phoebe laughed for it wasn't an easy mistake to make. Paige was wearing three inch heels and a Prada shirt while Phoebe herself was wearing matching Chanel heels and shirt. They both had their hair neatly done and were wearing a thick layer of make-up.

"I think what my sister is trying to say is that we are sort of for the same reason you are, to save someone so if you wouldn't mind coming with me because we wouldn't want you to get hurt now. These alleys can get pretty dangerous at this time of night." Phoebe smiled at the young girl and put her arm around her, leading her out of the alleyway. Turning back to Paige, she continued, "Now that wasn't so hard was it, we didn't even have to kick demon a… AHHHH!"

An energy ball had just narrowly missed Phoebe's head and hit the brick wall behind her. Evidently Paige had not noticed three demons shimmer in either, she had also been taken by surprise.

Phoebe regained her composure and jumped into the air. While levitating, she gave one swift kick and knocked one demon out cold causing him to come crashing down onto another demon.

"Big pole thingy!" Paige yelled with her arm extended, then flicked her wrist. The rusty metal pole that was once resting in a nearby dumpster had vanished into a mass of blue orbs and had reappeared, making its way through the two demons. Both suddenly burst into flames, leaving nothing behind but ashes that swept away with the wind.

"Whoa!" Phoebe exasperated then burst into laughter, "Big pole thingy? What was that?"

"Well it worked didn't it?" Paige replied, also giggling.

Just as both girls were about to leave, something else had shimmered in behind them. Phoebe turned around just in time to push Paige out of the way.

"Oh my god! Phoebe, nooo!" Paige orbed something towards the demon but it was too late. The demon had already shot something towards Phoebe through her mouth. Paige sent the female demon up in flames then rushed over to Phoebe, who had fallen down when the demon struck her. There were three large thorns sticking out of her right shoulder, "Oh my god! Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Phoebe stood up and dusted herself off. She winced as she touched her shoulder and took out the thorns.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Paige took notice of her sisters show of pain, "You shouldn't have pushed me out of the way!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that the girl ones spit thorns! Let's just get out of here before another comes back. Maybe Piper and Drake have found Leo by now."

Paige nodded in agreement as orbed Phoebe and herself home.

Across town, the Halliwell manor looked peaceful and still on that crisp Tuesday morning. Suddenly a burst of blue orbs appeared in the foyer forming the shapes of two young women.

"You should really get that looked at," Paige mentioned, looking at Phoebe's shoulder.

"It's nothing Paige, I'm fine," Phoebe shrugged it off.

"Leo!" Paige yelled, "Leo!", but there was nothing, "They couldn't have found him yet. We should help them with it but first I'm going to check the Book of Shadows for those thorn demons, you might be infected with something."

"I'm telling you Paige, I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore," Phoebe lied. While Paige started up the stairs Phoebe looked to her shoulder. The puncture looked as though it was swelling and it was severely red.

Phoebe herself began to walk towards the staircase but stopped as she felt something when she walked past the living room. She looked in, there was nothing there, but she felt it. It was a feeling of… she couldn't grasp the word. Fear? Safeness? Love? She didn't know. It was something she hadn't felt in years, since… well that strongly anyway. She made a mental note to tell Paige about it, after she got cleaned up. She may have been injured, but there was no way she was going out looking the way she did. After all, she was still on the lookout for the father of her future daughter.

She took one step on the staircase and this time, she felt a different feeling… dizziness. Before she knew it she had collapsed onto the floor, landing on her throbbing shoulder.

Phoebe stood up and again brushed herself off. Thinking that she had only passed out, she continued to travel up the stairs but stopped when she noticed herself still lying on the floor.

"Oh God! Am I dead again?" Phoebe muttered looking at her comatose self, then instinctively called out to her sisters, "Paige! Piper! Leo! Help!"

"They won't hear you," said a numbingly familiar voice.

Phoebe's head shot up. 'It couldn't be,' she thought to herself. She turned around slowly, dreading to meet those eyes. 'There's no way in hell it could be…'

"Cole…" Phoebe breathed.

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Okay... There's the first chapter... Please review, its what I live for! 


	2. That Split Second

_Thanks guys for all the amazing reviews! I actually wasn't going to write a chapter this week, with finals coming up, but after reading what you guys had to say encouraged me to write more! And I still got my studying done … yay! Lol.. I even had time to watch The Omen... Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy chapter two… I kinda enjoyed writing it…_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed… _

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**Chapter Two: That Split Second**

"Oh God! Am I dead again?" Phoebe muttered looking at her comatose self, then instinctively called out to her sisters, "Paige! Piper! Leo! Help!"

"They won't hear you," said a numbingly familiar voice.

Phoebe's head shot up. 'It couldn't be,' she thought to herself. She turned around slowly, dreading to meet those eyes. 'There's no way in hell it could be…'

"Cole…" Phoebe breathed.

"Hello Phoebe," Cole said in his usual cool tone.

"Cole?" Anger brewing in her voice, "What the HELL are you doing here?"

"You asked for me."

Phoebe laughed sarcastically, "Oh yeah, I asked for you! The hell I did!" She was yelling by now

"You asked for help, and here I am!" Cole spoke, matter-of-factly.

"The only way you can help me is by getting me back into my body so I never have to see you again! Oh and by the way… How exactly are you here? If my mind serves me correctly, we vanquished your sorry ass about two and a half years ago!"

"Two years, 98 days, 17 hours actually. And that's exactly what I'm trying to do, help you get back to your body… safe."

"Safe? Are you kidding me? And you still haven't answered my question, how are you here? Why can I see you?"

"Well technically I am still vanquished. I've been sent to this ungodly plain for the rest of eternity for all my evil doings."

"Serves you right," Phoebe mumbled under her breath.

"Pardon me?"

"Nothing," Phoebe said, turning her back to Cole, "I need to get back. A demon could attack any moment and Piper and Leo aren't back yet. Paige could be in danger."

"Ohh I'm sure Paige is fine, she's always been good at looking out to herself."

"You shut up! You are still not off the hook yet! Why you! Why now! I'm just confused as hell!"

"Let me explain everything to you, come sit with me."

"Hell no, I'm not going anywhere with you!" Phoebe's nerves locked her in place. She had promised herself that she would never let this man get to her again. Her mind was agreeing with her… her heart was begging her a different story. She looked at him, and for the first time, looked deep into his deep blue eyes, the eyes she used to get lost in, the eyes that she felt she was drowning in. Her looked so depleted, like his whole world had been taking away. Technically it had, and she had been one third of the blame for that. When she said those last words she saw him take a step back, the confidence level he was speaking with broke under the weight of her words. He looked so vulnerable. She knew the man she used to love was in there. For that split second, when she let her guard down, she could see it. She asked herself silently, 'Used to love?'. She wasn't so sure anymore. Phoebe controlled her thoughts thinking, 'oh god there I go again'. She couldn't do this again, she knew that, but his presence was altering. She began to doubt herself, her mind, her heart.

She suddenly cleared the thoughts that were lingering in her mind. Two things remained, the fact that Cole was evil and that he was there, in front of her.

"This is all some sick plot isn't it?" Phoebe's voice was growing louder again.

"What are you talking about Phoebe?"

"This is just another plan of yours to worm your way back into ours lives! You've done it before Cole! I definitely wouldn't put it past you! But you know what?" her voice became low and filled with intensity, "It isn't going to work this time Cole, over my dead body will I let you put my family in danger."

"Oh Phoebe," Cole could feel his confidence increasing slightly, "You make me sound like the antichrist himself."

"Come on Cole, you became the Source of All Things Evil for God's sake! You impregnated me with its spawn!"

"I admit, not one of my finer moments, yet you make it out to be like I deliberately hurt you!" Cole began to get angry himself, also because of the fact that they were running out of time, something he had yet to tell Phoebe.

"You DID deliberately hurt me Cole! You hurt my sisters! You tried to kill us more than once!"

"NOO! I tried to destroy the power of three when I was evil! NEVER you! How could you even think that! You were all that I had, all that I ever wanted! Everything that I did, every choice that I made was to protect you!"

"Okay," Phoebe said, skeptical, "So becoming the Source was to protect me? Care to enlighten me Cole?"

"You don't get it," Cole's voice lowered, "The Seer had seen you and your sisters die, the source would have killed you, especially without your powers. She brought me to the Underworld, where we made the deal: I would receive the Hollow, kill the Source, then you and the seer would return the Hollow. At no time did I know about or agree to receiving the Sources powers, nor did I want them. Once the power was in the void left by Belthazar, there was no controlling it. The only thing my human half could focus on was my love for you, and even that eventually that became overpowered, but it never changed the fact that I loved you."

Cole could see that Phoebe wasn't sure on what to say. As he looked into her dark eyes, he felt he could see her soul. And even though she looked so worn and overtired, she looked undeniably beautiful. This didn't come as a shock, for she would always look beautiful in his eyes. But there was something different about her this time. She had lost that spark that once resided in her chestnut eyes. He shuddered, realizing that the loss of that spark was mostly his fault. She hadn't said anything so he continued, "We can't continue talking about this now, we don't have the time."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean, not enough time for what?"

"Just sit down," Cole motioned towards the couch across from the chair he had just sat down in himself, "I'll explain everything."

This time, Phoebe agreed to his request.

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Meanwhile, Paige was flipping through the pages of the Book of Shadows, searching for some idea of a thorn demon. 

"Come on, come on, come on," Paige said vigorously, pages flying till she stopped on one distinct page, "Gotcha!"

She read down the page and realized that Phoebe was in big trouble if she didn't get to her soon.

"Phoebe! Phoebe!" She called as she raced down the staircase, almost tripping over her sisters unconscious body, "Oh my God! Phoebe! Wake up!" She picked up her body and began to cradle it next to her, tears streaming down her face, "Come on Phoebe! LEO! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE! …Leo… " sobs prolonging her words.

Paige tried to heal Phoebe herself, it wouldn't work, "Damn it! I'm part whitelighter too! Why the hell do I have these powers if I can't even use them! What are you trying to do to us!" she cried to the heavens above, "…why…" Paige continued to sob while holding Phoebe close to her.

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Alrighty guys... Hope you liked it... I know I left it at a bit of a cliffhanger, but I'll be sure to clear some things up... Review Please, it'll make the next chapter be up sooner! _

_Next Time:_

_- Is Phoebe's body dead?_

_- What will happen if time runs out for Phoebe?_

_- How can she get back into her comatose body?_


	3. A Fairytale Love

Okie Dokie, I have so many thoughts brewing in my mind about this story. Thank you so much for your awesome reviews… Keep it up! This will most likely be my last update in a while.. Damn finals :P I should be studying right now but if I didn't get these ideas down I'll have them forgotten, so you guys got lucky! lol Hope you guys like this chapter! Here it is:

**Disclaimer:** I Do not any part of Charmed.. Besides the dvds of course...

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Chapter 3: A Fairytale Love**

He shuddered, realizing that the loss of that spark was mostly his fault. She hadn't said anything so he continued, "We can't continue talking about this now, we don't have the time."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean, not enough time for what?"

"Just sit down," Cole motioned towards the couch across from the chair he had just sat down in himself, "I'll explain everything."

* * *

"Phoebe! Phoebe!" She called as she raced down the staircase, almost tripping over her sisters unconscious body, "Oh my God! Phoebe! Wake up!" She picked up her body and began to cradle it next to her, tears streaming down her face, "Come on Phoebe! LEO! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE! …Leo… " sobs prolonging her words.

Paige tried to heal her herself, it wouldn't work, "Damn it! I'm part whitelighter too! Why the hell do I have these powers if I can't even use them! What are you trying to do to us!" she cried to the heavens above, "…why…" Paige continued to sob while holding Phoebe close to her.

* * *

Phoebe sat apprehensively on the sofa, not taking her eyes off Cole. When she was situated she spoke up, "Okay, you said you'd explain things, let's her it."

"Okay, well first of all, your body is not dead. At least not yet anyway. We have some time before that happens. For now, you are stuck here, a parallel universe, between life and death so to speak. Those thorn demons you encountered, you didn't know that the females could actually fire thorns, did you?" Phoebe shook her head, he continued, "I didn't think so. I noticed you hadn't checked the Book of Shadows for.."

"What! Checked! You've been watching us!" Phoebe butted in angrily.

"At times I've checked in. I can control at which times I can view the real world, such as now, we can't. Right now it's just us."

"But you've been WATCHING us!" Phoebe couldn't grasp it.

"Just think of me as your guardian angel."

"You're no angel, Cole."

"Neither are you."

"Plus, we have Leo looking out for us."

"Oh yeah? Where is he half the time? Being an Elder, an Avatar, missing, dead? I can't keep track lately."

"That's not the point, I don't need my ex-husband spying on me and my relationships."

"Oh please… It's not like you're on my own personal Tivo, get over yourself. Look we don't have time for this. Shall I continue?"

Phoebe nodded reluctantly.

"Well those demons you attacked, and apparently attacked you, they were extremely dangerous, not upper level dangerous, but their thorns are lethal to a broken hearted witch. Much like that of a darklighter's arrow is to a whitelighter. They feed upon loneliness, desperation, and heartache, quite like a banshee actually," Cole chuckled, and Phoebe rolled her eyes, "The witch becomes comatose to the outside world, while her spirit, or soul, travels to a different plain where there, they have a time span of seven hours to figure out… how can I put this… How to love again. Most witches perish because they are not able to do this, their heart is beyond repair. But you have me. Are you following?"

Phoebe sorted out all of her questions and thoughts that were flying to her, she had been following quite well actually. After seven years of being a witch, you catch on quick to things of this sort. She had been ready to nod in agreement until she heard the last part, "Wait, how can _you_ help me?" she said stubbornly.

"I'm here to help you break the wall you have surrounding your heart."

"What wall?"

"The wall you built. And the one that I am responsible for. I hurt you so bad Phoebe and I am so sorry for that. I thought I was making the right choices when I was with you but it seems like when all I did was try to protect you, I did just the opposite, and that was never my intention. I loved you with all my heart, and you used to love me at one time. So I'm here now to help you break the wall that I helped you build."

"God Cole," Phoebe looked bewildered, "I need some air!" she ran out of the living room and down the main hall.

"Phoebe NOO!" before he barely got his last word out Phoebe had flew back across the hall and landed on the floor where, in reality, her unconscious body once lay.

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Paige had managed to bring Phoebe's wilting body to a couch in the living room. She wasn't dead, but she was barely alive. Paige had no idea what to do, Leo wasn't around, neither was Piper. If only she had got to Phoebe sooner, she could have saved her. Now she was in some parallel universe, and more than likely, she would never be back.

Paige was freaking out, thoughts were flying through her mind, what the hell was she going to do? There was no one to call, Darryl wasn't on good terms with them, Victor was with the kids so she couldn't call him, she had no one… One name then flooded her mind, one that said he'd always be there for her. She knew she shouldn't and that she probably had no right to even say his name, but she was desperate.

"Kyle," she said slowly low at first, but her voice grew steadily louder, "Kyle! Kyle! I need you! Please!" the hint of sobs could still be traced to her voice.

After a few moments, Paige stared down defeated, he hadn't come. She hadn't expected him to, but there would always be that hope in her, that hope that he would once again come to her rescue. 'I guess I was wrong,' she thought.

Then almost instantaneously, a mass of electric blue orbs erupted next to Paige. They formed he shape of a well built man with ruffled dark brown hair.

"What is it Paige? What happened?" he said with as much concern as Paige felt for her sister.

Paige said nothing. Instead she stood up and threw her arms around the man and broke down. Her head sunk deep into his shoulder and his arms automatically wrapped securely around her, pulling her closer to him. As she wept into his chest she could feel her knees start to give way, she was getting weak, but she knew that she was safe, he would never let her fall.

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Phoebe got up for what it felt like the thousandth time that day and dusted herself off. "You want to tell me what the bloody hell just happened!" She was out of breath and didn't feel like screaming anymore, actually she didn't think she had the strength to.

"You cant leave the house, you're kind of attached to your body, you have a limit of how much space there is between the two of you."

"Damn it, I thought ghosts could go wherever they wanted to."

"They can, but remember, you're not a ghost."

"I'll try and keep that in mind," she still wasn't being pleasant with Cole, his explanation had gotten to her, but she wouldn't let it show.

"Okay, may I keep going now?"

"Sure." she spoke bluntly.

"I know what happened to Leo…"

"WHAT!"

"Will you let me continue, For God's sake Phoebe, can't a man get a good word in around here?"

Phoebe merely nodded.

"The Elders took him and erased his memory. They needed him to make a decision once and for all, you guys or them."

Phoebe was stunned, "but Leo would never pick them, he'd never leave his family."

"But without his memory, he only has his instincts and wherever they tell him to go. He has no recollection of his family whatsoever. Truthfully, I believe the Elders have taken advantage of the situation and have been trying to convince him to go with them."

"But that means that he doesn't know about magic either, how can they convince him to be an Elder?"

"They can explain to him about the 'greater good'" Cole used finger quotations to stress the two words, "they don't even have to tell him about magic."

"So they're playing dirty!" Phoebe was outraged. Nobody had the right to do this to Leo, to Piper, to their love. Especially the Elders, for all they had already done to them.

"I'm not sure, but from what I can tell, they're desperate. That whole mess with the Avatars really screwed them up."

Phoebe shot him a dirty look, then squinted her eyes in effort to understand the situation, "Hold up… How do you know all this?"

"I have my sources," Phoebe looked at him angrily, a look filled with discontent, and he realized instantly what he said, "Sorry, wrong choice of words. Demons sometimes pass through here, some hiding, some are just making their way to another plain, and some are moving on to another world. Most of the time it's just me though. Before you came, I had been checking up on things around her," Phoebe still wasn't comfortable with the fact that he had a sneak peak into their lives, he could tell, "I noticed that the Elders wanted to see Leo and I got curious."

"Curious?" She lifted an eyebrow, engaging a suspicious look towards Cole.

"Yes, so I kind of followed him. No one would know I was there. From what I saw, they took him to another state and are trying to convince him that he has a higher calling or something.

"Oh my God! So we might never see him again?" She wasn't thinking about herself, more of Piper, what would her sister do without the love of her life.

"I highly doubt that. Piper and…" he paused for a moment as if struggling to say the name, "… Drake are hot on his trail," his momentary pause had not gone unnoticed by Phoebe yet he continued, "Plus, as you said, there's no way Leo would leave his family, and when Piper finds him, I'm pretty sure there's a good chance his memories could come flooded back. I'd actually count on it. A love like Piper and Leo's, its epic. It's the kind of love that little girls dream about, a fairytale love. They're like Romeo and Juliet or Jack and Rose. True, they did end in tragedy but it doesn't mean that Piper and Leo will. I know we were doomed from the start but… their love is what we should have had."

"We did have that love Cole," she looked at him with the first bit of sincerity since their eyes had met a little over an hour ago, "We were just a little star-crossed." she added a slight smirk, the one that made him weak in the knees.

'God, not again,' he thought to himself, for he was once again he was under her spell.

Subconsciously, she was under his too, but she would never ever admit it.

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K everyone... hope you liked it... please review... I'm in a writing mood so there might even be another update for you guys.. keep your fingers crossed... thanx!... Britt


	4. An Old Reminder

Hey There Guys! I'm really excited about this chapter! And I would really like to know what you think about it… Please Review!

Also, Chapters might be up a little faster now that I'm out of school but there is still a chance that they might be up even faster if you guys review and give me some suggestions… I'm open to anything!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed…

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**Chapter 4: An Old Reminder**

"We did have that love Cole," she looked at him with the first bit of sincerity since their eyes had met, "We were just a little star-crossed." she added a slight smirk, the one that made him weak in the knees.

'God, not again,' he thought to himself, for he was once again he was under her spell.

Subconsciously, she was under his too, but she would never ever admit it.

* * *

"There's nothing we can do for her now," Kyle took Phoebe's motionless hand that had been hanging off the side of the couch and rested it next to her lifeless body.

"Nothing? Are you sure? Come on, you're a whitelighter, you have to know something!" Paige wouldn't face the fact that Phoebe had to come back on her own terms, if she came back at all.

"Paige, you're part whitelighter too, and you've been in the business longer than I have. Still from what I've learned, she's stuck on another plain and there is nothing we can do to help. She has to figure this out for herself."

"I know, but I just wish there was something I…" Paige was interrupted by the shimmer of a familiar demon since that of two hours ago, "OH MY GODD!"

The female demon took no time in making her move, firing two thorns towards the witch standing ahead of her. But this time, Paige was ready.

"Thorns!" Paige shouted and immediately the thorns vanished into blue orbs and instinctively she threw the orb at the demon. Both thorns hit the demon and punctured the skin where a heart was normally found. It staggered backwards and fell to the floor, knocking down a side table that was placed near Phoebe. With it also fell a vase full of roses, given to Phoebe by Drake, and an old radio, which in the process of colliding with the floor must have also hit the Power button because it had turned on. This wasn't noticed by Paige and Kyle however.

The demon burst into flames and Paige breathed a sigh of relief. Kyle walked over to her and protectively put his arms around her and said, "We need to get out of here, its not safe for us, another demon could come back."

Paige looked up into his eyes, seeing his concern and showing him some of her own, "But what about Phoebe? We can't leave her!"

"Phoebe will be perfectly safe here, her soul is in the parallel universe and there is nothing that can hurt her at the moment."

"But what about that demon that we just vanquished? Where did she go?"

"No where near Phoebe, but we need to go, we need to help find Piper and Leo."

"Okay," Paige replied innocently nodded her head, "But first…" Paige made her way over to Phoebe's body and gently placed a kiss on the top of her head, "I love you Phoebe, don't give up."

Paige walked back over to Kyle and took his hand in hers, it fit so perfectly. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, and with that both vanished into blue orbs.

* * *

Meanwhile, Phoebe had agreed to go over all of her past relationships with Cole, starting at when she was a teenager and working her way up. At first she had been very uncomfortable, having to discuss this topic with her ex-husband. They had lightly covered their affair, not going into great depth, both were still very affected by the memories. But over time, while surveying Phoebe's more comical romances and magical mishaps, they grew to enjoy each others company. Some would even call them friends.

"Okay," Phoebe was trying to regain composure, she was out of breath from laughing so much, "So then I became the Goddess of Love, that was fun!"

"Oh my God! I remember that! I was just getting used to being here, learning that I could watch other plains," Cole was also out of breath, tears lining his eyes from laughter, "I thought you were very hot by the way."

"Hahaha! Thank you, and so did every other man in San Francisco. There's nothing like a little Aphrodite to make a man drool."

In the midst of all the laughter, the side table that was resting next to Phoebe overturned, causing the contents lying on it to come crashing to the floor, and Phoebe and Cole to jump.

"What the hell was that!" Phoebe screamed.

"It must be something that happened in your plain, maybe a demon attacked?"

"Oh My God! Paige! Cole, show me my world, right now" she demanded.

Cole didn't answer, he just snapped his fingers and instantaneously Paige Halliwell, an unconscious Phoebe, A male, and a horrible looking female demon appeared in the room with them, all unaware that a very much alive Phoebe and Cole were watching them.

Phoebe and Cole stared intently at the scene in front of them. The demon that was lying next to the overturned side table suddenly burst into flames, and left nothing but a scorch mark on the rug. Paige stood in the middle of the room and the tall male figure walked over to her. Phoebe recognized him as Kyle Brody, she smiled, 'Way to go 'lil sis,' she thought to herself. Kyle hugged Paige, very passionately Phoebe would add. They exchanged a few words and Phoebe saw Paige walk over to her comatose body, place a kiss on her head and utter the words, "I love you Phoebe, don't give up."

Phoebe and Cole then witnessed Kyle and Paige orb out of the room, leaving them alone once again, besides the other Phoebe of course.

"Okay… well that was weird!" Phoebe exclaimed, breaking the silence between the two. Neither of them had said a word since the demon was vanquished

"Yeah…" Cole wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure if Phoebe would be upset that her sister would just leave her like that, "Umm… Phoebe?"

"I know," Phoebe interrupted, "Paige had a good reason for leaving, it's not safe here. Plus, if she took my body with her I'd have to go with her, it'd be wasting time. Speaking of, we should get back to bus…" Phoebe stopped when she noticed that the radio was on.

Phoebe smiled to herself when she realized what station the radio was set on, an 'all pop, all the time' channel. She made a note to herself to help Paige with her music taste.

Cole had noticed too, "Oh God! Not these Damn boy bands! What has happened to your music taste?" he chuckled.

"Ha, don't look at me, that's all Paige. I remember that I once told Piper, on her wedding day actually, that there were too many boy bands in the world," she laughed at the memory, "Prue was alive then, and so were you," she genuinely smiled at him and made him weak in the knees, he smiled back.

Phoebe walked over to the radio and bent down to turn it off, but midway through doing this she stopped. She began to listen to the song that has just begun to play. She looked at Cole and began to stare deep into his eyes. She got up and walked over to him. She held out her hand and whispered just loud enough so that he could hear, "Dance with me."

Cole was bewildered, "What? Now? Phoebe we don't have…" she stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"Just shhh," she whispered to him with a reassuring smirk. She took his hand and pulled him closer to her. She put her arms around his neck, rested her head on his shoulder, and began to play with the hair on the back of his neck, 'I missed this,' she thought

It seems like yesterday when I said "I do"

And after all this time my heart still burns for you

If you don't know by now that you're my only one

Take a look inside me and watch my heartstrings come undone

Cole placed his arms hesitantly around her and placed his hands on the small of her back. He loved the way she felt beside him. Why was she doing this to him. He closed his eyes and took in her scent, she still smelled sweet.

In unity they began to sway with the soft music.

_**I know I promised you forever**_

_**Is there no stronger word I can use**_

_**To reassure you when the storm is raging outside**_

_**You're my safest place to hide**_

_**Can you see me, here I am**_

_**I need you like I needed you then**_

_**When I feel like giving up**_

_**I climb inside your heart I still find**_

_**You're my safest place to hide**_

Cole recognized the last line of the chorus, but wasn't sure if Phoebe had. He wondered if it was just a coincidence that she asked him to dance to this particular song.

_**You see colors no one else can see**_

_**In every breath you hear a symphony**_

_**You understand me like nobody can**_

_**I feel like my soul unfolding like a flower blooming**_

_**When this whole world gets too crazy**_

_**And there's nowhere left to go**_

_**I know you give me sanctuary**_

_**You're the only truth I know**_

_**You're the road back home**_

The first time Phoebe had heard this song, in Paige's car, she was instantly sent back to that moment with Cole, all those years ago.

_Flashback_

_"I can bring him to the mausoleum, it's the second safest place I know."_

_"What's the first?" Phoebe asked._

_"With You," Cole replied confidently, as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world._

_End of Flashback/ _

Since the instance she first heard this song, it had always been her favorite. Every lyric to this song reminded her of Cole, every lyric was true. And as she swayed next to him, she longed for him to understand the meaning of this song, to even recognize the lines of it.

_**Can you see me, here I am**_

_**Standing here where I've always been**_

_**And when words are not enough**_

_**I climb inside your heart I'd still find**_

_**You're my safest place to hide**_

_**My safest place to hide**_

Cole was brought back to the time when he said those two pivotal words to her, 'with you'. He remembered how badly he had hurt her just a few days later. Then her sister had died. Could things have gotten any worse for her. No he had to go and become possessed with the source and ruin his family, the only family he had ever known, the only family he would ever love. Cole was secretly kicking himself.

Phoebe loved the way it felt, being in his arms again. She almost forgot how good it had been. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked into his deep blue eyes.

_**I know I promised you forever**_

_**There's no stronger word I can use**_

_**To reassure when the storm is raging outside**_

_**You're my safest place to hide**_

Cole looked back into her dark chocolate eyes, ones that he used to see his future in, if he hadn't screwed it all up.

"You have to stop blaming yourself." Phoebe spoke quietly.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Everything is not your fault, the Brotherhood, Prue, The Source, losing our child. You have to stop blaming yourself… I'm an Empath remember?" both of them were still talking softly as they swayed in each other's arms.

"Yeah, I know, but I didn't think you regained that power back yet?"

"I guess I just needed the inspiration." she added, giving him a smile which made him melt yet again.

Neither of them had broken their stare, and Cole noticed something as Phoebe looked up at him, the spark in her eyes was back and it was burning intensely.

_**Oh! Can you see me, here I am**_

_**Standing here where I've always been**_

_**When I feel like giving up**_

_**I climb inside your heart I'd still find**_

_**Yeah, yeah**_

_**You're my safest place to hide, oh yeah**_

_**You're my safest place to hide**_

Phoebe lifted herself up, gradually escalating herself to her tiptoes. Cole lowered his head and met her halfway. Their lips collided slowly as if they were fragile enough to break. Both were extremely scared but could not ignore the desire burning between them anymore. The passion erupted and the kiss exploded, making up for all the time they had lost. Cole lifted Phoebe into the air and she wrapped her legs around his waist, not once breaking the connection of their lips. His hands were at the back of her neck, deepening the kiss, while her hands were running through his short dark hair.

Cole broke the kiss and Phoebe looked taken aback. He looked at her, a warm smile on his face, filled with passion, he whispered, "You still are."

She looked confused, "Still are what?"

"My safest place to hide."

Phoebe kissed him with every emotion she held within her body. She didn't want this to end. She wasn't even sure she wanted to go back to her own plain anymore. She knew she had to, for her sisters, but it didn't change the fact that the love of her life was here, and she was more in love with him now than she had ever been. Suddenly she felt another passion brewing in her body.

She broke the kiss long enough to pant to Cole, "Do you think my body will let us get to my bedroom?"

Cole, also panting, nodded, "I think we can make it."

In an instant, Cole and Phoebe vanished from the living room.

* * *

There you go guys! I hope you enjoyed it! I really liked writing this chapter. By the way, This chapter has been dedicated to my Bestest friend MICHELLEY! Hope you liked it! (I better get a good Brucas reunion in your stories now!)

Also, the song I used in this chapter is called, Safest Place to Hide by Backstreet Boys. I know, the cd wasnt even released when this eppy originally aired but I thought i really it matched the moment and the couple.

I still wanna know what you think! Please Review.. (It's that little blue/grey box on the lower left-hand corner on the bottom of the page, lol… j/k)

Anyways guys! That's it for me… 3 Britt


	5. Let Me Feel

_K guys, sorry it took so long for me to post… kind of a long week :P But I got m very first vinyl! YAY! Anyways, enough bout me and my boring life and back to the oh-so dramatic lives of the Charmed ones. Please review it guys!_

_**Disclaimer: **I Do Not Own Charmed, nor do I own any of the quotes mentioned in this chapter or the next._

**Chapter 5: Let Me Feel**

* * *

"No where near Phoebe, but we need to go, we need to help find Piper and Leo."

"Okay," Paige replied innocently nodded her head, "But first…" Paige made her way over to Phoebe's body and gently placed a kiss on the top of her head, "I love you Phoebe, don't give up."

Paige walked back over to Kyle and took his hand in hers, it fit so perfectly. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, and with that both vanished into blue orbs.

* * *

Phoebe kissed him with every emotion she held within her body. She didn't want this to end. She wasn't even sure she wanted to go back to her own plain anymore. She knew she had to, for her sisters, but it didn't change the fact that the love of her life was here, and she was more in love with him now than she had ever been. Suddenly she felt another passion brewing in her body.

She broke the kiss long enough to pant to Cole, "Do you think my body will let us get to my bedroom?"

Cole, also panting, nodded, "I think we can make it."

In an instant, Cole and Phoebe vanished from the living room.

* * *

Cole and Phoebe lay entangled in each other's arms. Both wrapped up in each others essences, alone in their own little world. Phoebe's head lay on Cole's chest, tucked under his chin, and she was gently stroking the hair which resided on her lover's body.

Cole lay still, his arm protectively wrapped around Phoebe, pulling her closer, as if someone would come and take her away from him. He intensely listened to each breath she took, he waited for each exhale, and anticipated each new inhale. She looked so peaceful, more peaceful than he had seen her in months… years maybe. Suddenly her petite figure started to shaking, "Phoebe?" he questioned, a touch of concern in his voice. He looked down onto her face, she was laughing.

"How did I not expect that this was going to happen?" she giggled, cuddling deeper into him.

"Well would you really predict that we'd end up sleeping together between all the yelling? But then again you are supposed to be the one with the premonitions here," Cole also began to chuckle.

"Well, you alwaysdid havethis funny way of keeping me on the edge of my seat," Phoebe lifted her head and looked lovingly into his pools of blue, "How much do you still love me, after everything I mean, everything that I did you, to us, to our family."

"Take love, multiply it by infinity and take it to the depths of forever.. and you still have only a glimpse of how I feel for you," He looked back with just as much affection as she did.

"Wow, quoting Brad Pitt movies I see. Did we watch that movie together?"

"What? Meet Jack Black?" Phoebe burst into hysterics, "What?" he questioned.

"Joe," Cole still wore a confused look upon his face, "It's Meet Joe Black, the movie title. How is it that you recite full quotes but you cannot even remember the movie's title?"

Cole also began to laugh, "Well I tend to remember the important things, titles don't count. And to answer your question, no, we didn't watch that movie together, we were too busy watching that horrid film… ohh what was it's name? Ohh yes, Kill It Before It Dies!"

"Hey," She playfully slapped him on the chest and he mocked being hurt, "That movie was really good, and that's how you came back to me the first time, you remember that?"

"How could I forget? And how could I _not_ come back to you, I mean, you were so _swell_ Sally M… ohh I mean Phoebe," He grinned seductively.

"Stop making fun!" she hit him again and he laughed at her this time, "And if I remember correctly, watching that movie wasn't all we were busy with," she smiled, biting her lip and raising an eyebrow. She leaned towards him, inching their lips closer and closer.

"Oh yeah?" he tilted his head forward.

"Oh yeah!" She added before their lips collided and pulled the bed sheet over their heads.

* * *

"God!" Piper yelled as Paige orbed four figures into the living room, "That is the LAST time we deal with any Elder. At this moment we cut ALL ties!"

"Calm down Piper, it's okay," A masculine figure said as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Piper turned around and looked into the warn eyes of her husband, Leo.

"I know, it'd just that, we were so close to losing you this time. We almost didn't make it. I don't know what the boys and I would have done without you."

_Flashback_

_Three people were standing high on top of the Golden Gate Bridge shouting to the heavens._

_"Bring him down here now! Or I swear to God I'll find a way up there and blow up all your asses!" A feminine figure yelled._

_"Now Piper, no need for language," another two figures formed on the bridge from lightning blue orbs. One man being much older than the other, the older man speaking._

_"Leo," Piper said softly._

_"I'm sorry, do I know you?" The last four words broke Piper's heart to pieces and she could feel that she was on the verge of tears._

_"You should, she's your wife! But no, you wouldn't know that because someone here has been brainwashing you to leave your life! You have a family Leo!" Paige struggled to regain her brother-in-law._

_"Is this true?" Leo asked the Elder standing next to him._

_"Parts, but Leo, you've already chosen the greater good. You can help so many people by coming with me, even your family. They will know that you are safe and you can keep them safe. You can have immortality."_

_Paige had to admit, this guys was good, but he wasn't going to be better than Paige Mathews, oh no he wasn't, "Le-"_

_She was stopped by Leo raising a hand to silence her. So this was it, she thought, he hadn't chosen his family?_

_"There, I knew you would make the right decision." the older Elder said._

_"Yeah," Leo spoke quiet and calmly, "Me too." He looked to the man at his side and instead of orbing away with him, he walked past the elder and wrapped his arms around an unsuspecting Piper and catching her lips in his. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, deepening the kiss. When they broke apart, he looked into his love's eyes and whispered, "I know I made the right decision. Let's go home."_

_End of Flashback/ _

"That doesn't matter now Piper," Leo said, "It's over, we just have to concentrate on Phoebe now, and getting her home."

"That could be easier said than done," Paige was the one to reply, "We only have about an hour till her seven hours are up, let's hope that she made some progress wherever she is and that she's not still stuck in some rut that she's been in since He Who Must Not Be Named"

"Who's that?" Kyle asked.

"Long story, I'll explain later," Paige said as she began to once again go upstairs to check the book, which she knew had nothing useful in it. But it was the only thing she could think of to do for her big sister.

* * *

'I love you, you know that right? I've always loved you, and I always will. I'll remember this moment for the rest of my life." she added with a smile as she finished getting dressed.

"No you won't" Cole said tentatively, almost in a whisper, while buttoning his shirt.

"What did you say?" unsure of what he said.

"I said that you're not going to remember this, any of this. You won't remember me or any of the moments we've shared. You will only take back your heart, barrier free, by which you will be free to love. Not me, but someone else, someone very lucky."

"You mean I'm not going to remember anything from the past six hours! That everything that has happened between us is all for nothing? What the Hell?"

"Wow, you catch on quick," Cole mentioned jokingly.

"This is not a time for sarcasm Cole… How am I supposed to deal with this!"

"You don't, and I'm sorry I can't help you more… but there's nothing I can do, you leave in less than an hour, leaving the memories of your past seven hours behind." Cole looked to his feet. He couldn't bare to see the disappointment in her eyes. He didn't want to witness the fact that he failed her again.

"Or I don't," Phoebe added hopefully.

Cole retreated his head quickly, unsure of what she had just said, or meant, "What are you talking about Phoebe? I can't change the fact that you leave without your memories."

"I know you can't," She gazed into his eyes, "but I was thinking that maybe… I could stay here, with you."

"You're crazy Phoebe! You know that?" he said, before even completely contemplating her words.

"No it's completely logical, I'll stay here with you, and we can be happy, with no one to bother us, and no chance of you hurting me."

"You're Psychotic! You really are!" he yelled, not necessarily at her, but mainly to vent his frustration. He paused for a moment then spoke, "Love is many things, none of them logical."

"But why can't this work?"

"The fact is Phoebe, You have to go home, you're family needs you. I'm going to have to stay here and there's nothing you can do about it. I am trapped here for all eternity, destined to alone"

"No, not right now. Right now, I'm here, with you. You're wrong! The fact is: I'm here, nothing but a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."

"You know I love you Phoebe."

"Then why? Why is this so hard? You know, you find one piece of happiness in this world and there is always someone trying to take it away. I don't want this to be taken away Cole! I want to be with you, and only you."

"But you know you have to go back! Your sisters need you, your nephews need you, the Power of Three needs you!"

"Screw The Power of Three!" Phoebe spat back.

Cole chuckled softly, "You don't mean that."

"The hell I don't!"

"Just stop Phoebe. Listen to yourself! You know full and well what happened last time you guys lost the power of three, and I doubt that there are anymore long lost sisters out there for your sisters to find. And, would you really want to do that to Prue?"

"Do what to Prue?"

"Act like her death meant nothing!"

"What the hell are you talking about!" She yelled.

"By staying here, your abandoning your heritage! You're a Charmed One for God's Sake! You need to go back and fight for the innocents that she died trying to save!" He knew that this hit a nerve with Phoebe but he didn't back down, he couldn't handle it if he ruined her life already more than he had.

Phoebe's eye's began to well up with tears and they were temping to fall, "Well then I can bring you back!" she spoke hopefully.

"No," he said fiercely, "I don't want you too!"

"You don't want to be with me?" she asked questioningly, "okay I get it now… So you just had sex with me because I was the only way you could get a lay on this fucking plane!" she spat bitterly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"NOO! I don't want to come back because I don't want to kill you again!"

"You never killed me Cole, what kind of bullshit are you trying to pull now?"

"Not Physically. But I could have, and God knows that I killed you on the inside! I don't want to be always hiding in the shadows, afraid of what I could become, afraid of what I could doto you. I don't want to take the chance of hurting you again."

"Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around" she said quietly, as if speaking any louder would set off another chain of explosions.

"Cameron Crowe huh? Truthfully, I wasn't that big a fan of Vanilla Sky, or Tom Cruise for that instance." Cole responded nervously, after just expressing his soul to the woman standing in front of him.

"Stop trying to change the subject Cole." She added sharply.

"Fine… But, hey, I remembered the movie title," He smiled but she shot him an evil glance, the glance he knew all too well, it urged him not to continue down the path he was following in the conversation, "Well we better get back to the task at hand, you're time is soon up and we need to get that wall down."

"What's the point Cole? If I'm not going to remember any of this, if I'm not going to remember loving you right now. I'm telling you, if I have to go back without this feeling, this feeling of lov- " she was silenced by Cole.

"You know that place between sleep and awake? That place where you still remember dreaming? That's where you'll always love me."

"But I want to love you consciously, not just subconsciously!" she moved towards the figure standing in the middle of her bedroom, "I wanna know that I love you, I want to remember every feeling that I get when I'm next to you. I want to remember the shivers that go down my spine every time you touch me."

"You'll always have those memories Phoebe," he stepped towards her, "Nobody can take then away from you… Nobody! But you also need to have those feelings for someone else, you just can't waste your life on me anymore. You need to move on, without me."

"How can I move on, if I'm numb. I need you to let me feel, Cole, I don't care if I breakdown. I don't care if I hit the ground when I fall, just let me feel," she looked up at him, pleading, tears were trailing down her face. Cole gently cupped her face and wiped away her tears with his thumb. She sunk into his hand, savoring his every touch.

"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened." He grinned at her, a look of loss and sorrow in his eyes, for he knew that he was about to lose her once again. She finally opened up, let her emotions unfold. She would not be with him much longer.

And as if on cue, Phoebe began to glow. At first she looked confused but then realized what was going on, she suppressed her sobs as Cole backed way from her, "No," she pleaded, "I don't want to go, I WON'T GO!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face once again.

Cole took one last look at the woman standing in front of him. A woman who would have his heart completely for the rest of both their lives. The last look of love. The aura around her became brighter and her bodily figure becoming transparent and he knew that he needed to say this now or he would never have another chance, "You did it, you're feeling. You got what you wanted. Goodbye Phoebe. It will never get better or sweeter than you. You are my forever. In a lifetime of war, you gave me peace. And even though you may not see me, I'll be there. Every second of every day, I'll be there. I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered, but with more passion and love than she had ever spoken to him with before, because she knew this would be the last time.

With one blinding white flash, she was gone, leaving behind the happiness she and Cole had just shared, the memories of how great her life could be.

_

* * *

Okay, so there it is! I'm actually kinda pleased with this chapter, got a lot of emotion in it, but it all means nothing if you dont review... I'm hoping that you guys actually read this story.. So if ya do, please review, they really make my day.. Good or Bad.. And it will make updates come a lot faster! Hope you liked the chapter!_

_B Noseworthy xoxo_


	6. Can I Be Your Memory

_B Noseworthy here again! I'm so glad you guys liked the last chapter.. I did too. This chapter will run a little different though. Its kind of a SongFic Chapter.. I had part of the chapter written and three songs came on and I knew that I needed to put one of them in.. They all fit perfectly! _

_Thanks so much for the amazing reviews guys.. They are what keep this story alive and they make my day. Keep sending your feedback, even the bad stuff… I wanna know what can make me a better writer… because truthfully, I don't think I'm very good. But anyways, I guess thats up to you to decide.._

_**P!** Aka **TutorGrrl323:** THANK YOU! I'm soo glad you liked it! And I'm proud that you're grasping at straws… I guess I make a good influence, lol… You're close, but not quite there yet.. I hope you'll like it. Thanks for supporting me hunn, I couldn't have done this without you! … especially this chapter!_

_**Nathalie:** Hey you! Your review really made my day… it's good to know that someone really likes my story. Keep the faith! As a very smart girl once said, "People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end!" It may take a while but they will find their way eventually!_

_**Danielle503:** hehe that's my middle name, lol… yeah.. It's great that you like the story, I hope you keep reading and that I don't disappoint.. And I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long…_

_**Lilchick1989**: thank you! You're just gonna have to keep reading to find out!_

_**Lost Witch:** Again, Thank you very much. This was how I wanted the eppy to air too! Don't worry, Phoebe and Cole have a long road ahead of them yet… hopefully this fic wont end too soon… _

_**Phoebe and Cole 4ever:** Thank you sooo much! I'm exceptionally happy to see that people enjoy my story… Keep up reviewing please!_

_Now on with the story…_

**

* * *

Chapter 6: Can I be Your Memory?**

Cole took one last look at the woman standing in front of him. A woman who would have his heart completely for the rest of both their lives. The last look of love. The aura around her became brighter and her bodily figure becoming transparent and he knew that he needed to say this now or he would never have another chance, "Goodbye Phoebe. It will never get better or sweeter than you. You are my forever. In a lifetime of war, you gave me peace. And even though you may not see me, I'll be there. Every second of every day, I'll be there. I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered, but with more passion and love than she had ever spoken to him with before, because she knew this would be the last time.

With one blinding white flash, she was gone, leaving behind the happiness she and Cole had just shared, the memories of how great her life could be.

_

* * *

_

Did I disappoint you or let you down?

_Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?_

_'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,_

_Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won._

_So I took what's mine by eternal right._

_Took your soul out into the night._

_It may be over but it won't stop there,_

_I am here for you if you'd only care._

_You touched my heart you touched my soul._

_You changed my life and all my goals._

_And love is blind and that I knew when,_

_My heart was blinded by you._

_I've kissed your lips and held your hand._

_Shared your dreams and shared your bed._

_I know you well, I know your smell._

_I've been addicted to you._

The rain had begun to pour outside. A man stood next to the window watching as the lightning lit up San Francisco. Cole turned his back to the window and looked solemnly at Phoebe, she hadn't woken up yet. Maybe it was taking longer for her memories to be taken away from her, he thought. Maybe she was putting up a fight.

After all, so much had been rehatched that it would take a lot to suppress it back into her subconscious.

He began to think that maybe things would have gone differently if he hadn't let himself feel all those years ago. If they hadn't gotten in so deep maybe she wouldn't have been so screwed up. He shouldn't have taken advantage of her back when they had first met, but that had been his demonic half, only out for power. But she brought out the human in him, she brought out the love he didn't think he could feel. Deep in his soul, he knew they could never work, but he loved her too much to give up… maybe that was where he went wrong.

As he watched her it was killing him to see her struggling, and him not being able to do anything to help her. But then again, this was how it had been for almost the past two and a half years. He was beginning to cope with the fact that he couldn't help her. But tonight, their meeting, sparked up so many feelings within Cole… feelings that he had been so desperately trying to suppress during the years. Maybe he needed Phoebe just as much as she needed him that night. Hell, it wasn't _maybe_, he _knew_ he needed her. A lonely tear rolled down his cheek. He didn't bother to wipe it away, no one would see him anyway. 'Maybe if I had said something else-" he thought. But it didn't matter now, she was gone, maybe not willingly, but she was gone.

Phoebe began to stir on the sofa closest to him. Piper, Paige and the rest of the crew would be down shortly, and Cole didn't want to stick around knowing and witnessing the fact that Phoebe remembered nothing. He couldn't bare to do that. So he wiped away the flood of tears that had fallen from his eyes and tried to think of where he could go… he knew the perfect place.

_Goodbye my lover._

_Goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one._

_You have been the one for me._

* * *

Phoebe awoke with a start, looking at her surroundings. She was lying on one of the sofa's in the living room.

"Paige!"

"Oh My God! Phoebe?" This voice was not Paige's Phoebe noticed, it was her older sister Piper.

"Piper? Is that you? Did you just get back? What happened?" Phoebe asked as her sisters ran down the staircase.

"No, we've been back about an hour. Everyone's fine! We're all okay, we were just worried about you," Piper added.

"About me? Why? But how could you guys be back an hour? I never heard you upstairs."

"Well you wouldn't would you?" Paige cut in, "Phoebe, you were blacked out"

"Blacked out? What do you mean?"

"When that thorn demon attacked us, you got infected. I came downstairs earlier this evening and found you unconscious at the foot of the stairs. I managed to get you to the couch and that's when I called for Kyle."

"Kyle?" Phoebe eyed her sister approvingly, "Way to go sis."

"So not the point right now Phoebe!" Paige warned her, though a slight grin played on her lips, "So you don't remember anything?" quickly changing the subject back to her sister, "We checked out the thorn demons and found that they prey on the souls of the broken hearted or those who have built a wall around their heart, unwilling anyone to enter. You had seven hours on another plane to sort it out… mend your heart. It said that most people don't make it out though, from the other plane. But you did, which is great! But you still remember nothing?"

"Nothing," Phoebe repeated as she looked to the ground and put her hands through her hair, trying to force some recollection of what might have happened, "But truthfully, I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I guess I did put the pieces back together… I'd like to know how though."

Paige and Piper looked to her sympathetically but Phoebe put on a brave smile. At that moment Leo came down the stairs.

"Hey! Phoebe! You're up!"

"I'm up!" Phoebe exclaimed with fake enthusiasm, "It's great to see you back Leo, it wouldn't have been the same without you."

"It's great to see you awake, and likewise. I'm just glad to be back." Leo sat behind Piper on the arm of the couch, placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

Paige urged Phoebe to keep going, "You were saying."

"It doesn't matter now anyway. I'm here, I'm safe, and I can move on with my life. Heck, maybe you guys will get your niece after all."

"Phoebe," Piper warned, "you don't want to go jumping into pregnancies now. You don't even know who the father of this little girl will be!"

"I know Piper, I was only kidding. I just meant, I feel like I can actually put myself out there this time… let people in, without the burden." Phoebe yawned exhaustedly, "Actually, what I want to do right now is take a nap… I don't know what I was doing in that other plane but I feel like I ran a marathon! I'll catch up with you guys later. And you-" she pointed to Paige as she began to walk up the staircase, "I expect to hear all about what happened with Agent McHottie!"

Piper nudged Paige in the ribcage, playfully laughing, while Paige could only grin, looking happier than she had in months.

* * *

Cole paced back and fourth the mausoleum wondering whether or not Phoebe had gotten back yet. 'Maybe she's stuck on a different plane, she could be alone and scared,' he thought.

"Maybe I'll just stop by to see if everything went okay," he spoke to himself, "I mean, I don't have to stay for long… just to see if she's alright-"

He kept talking to himself as he shimmered to the manor.

_

* * *

_

I am a dreamer and when I wake,

_You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take._

Phoebe awoke from a not-so-dreamless sleep and looked around her room. It looked so empty. There were no pictures of a family that Phoebe had dreamed about, it was just her. She couldn't help but remember a time when this very room wasn't so lonely. In fact it had been very chaotic and exciting, and it held the promise of a happy future, her happy future.

She shook the thoughts from her head and walked over to her closet. It was in there somewhere, she knew it was. Finally she found it, a small box hidden in the back of her closet. She brought it with her to the edge of her bed where she slid onto the floor.

She opened the box and in it were filled with all the mementoes of a relationship that had been over for years. Why she still kept the box, she didn't know, but there it was. She placed her hands on one of his old shirts, a black turtleneck, she remembered how good he looked in it and smiled painfully to herself. She brought it to her face and took in its scent… it still smelled like him. She placed it down and instead, picked up a picture frame.

Phoebe looked to the picture residing in her hand, it was of two people gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, both unaware that the picture was being taken. Phoebe longed to feel that way again, the way she felt when she looked into Cole's eyes. God, she didn't even know why she was thinking about him again, she hadn't thought of him in years. Why did she all-of-the-sudden feel the urge to be with him again? Tears welled in the brim of her eyes, threatening to fall. It didn't matter anyway, she thought, because he's dead, he doesn't exist anymore, and that was partly her fault. She could have stopped Paige, she could have forgiven him. But no, she had to close off her heart to him and make him lose control. The truth was, she was scared… she was scared of opening herself up, to be hurt again, especially by him. But that was no excuse to treat him the way she did. She knew she had still loved him, but she still refused _his_ love. She took one last look at the picture before throwing it against the wall, shards of glass flying everywhere. Phoebe brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She laid her head back down as the tears streamed down her face.

_And as you move on, remember me,_

_Remember us and all we used to be_

_I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile._

_I've watched you sleeping for a while._

_I'd be the father of your child._

_I'd spend a lifetime with you._

_I know your fears and you know mine._

_We've had our doubts but now we're fine,_

_And I love you, I swear that's true._

_I cannot live without you._

Cole had been watching her the entire time, his heart breaking more every second. It was flattering to know that she had kept his things, though it was his pride that had been thinking that. The aching part of him knew that this was for the best. She was moving on. But it was good to know that he would always hold a place in her heart… even if he couldn't have all of it.

_Goodbye my lover._

_Goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one._

_You have been the one for me._

She noticed the broken picture frame lying on the floor, the picture had fallen out but a small folded piece of paper had been placed behind it. She got up and picked up the piece of paper, avoiding any broken glass, and wiping away the tears from her eyes. She unfolded the paper and seeing what it was almost brought her to her knees. The tears once again began to roll down her cheeks, and her hand flew over her mouth as she silently read what was on the old sheet of paper.

_**Dear Phoebe,**_

_**If I'm dead right now, I know it was at your hand. No one else in heaven or hell had power over me. Please don't cry. I was dead before I met you, I was born the day you loved me. And my love for you will keep me alive forever.**_

_**Love Cole **_

Phoebe felt lost, as if she didn't know where she was. Those words hit her like a ton of bricks thefirst time she read them and they had the same impact this time. The only thing was that he wasn't coming back this time, like he had then. He was gone. She looked to the ground and among the bits of glass were two golden bands. She palmed the two wedding rings and stared at them intently. Her hand closed and she gripped the rings tightly as the sobs consumed her body.

Cole looked at Phoebe standing in front of him, she was so brittle. He sucked up his pride and whispered softly, "Goodbye Phoebe. Parting is such sweet sorrow"

She fell to the floor once again in sobs, amidst the broken glass, but she didn't care. For once, she didn't care if she hurt, she didn't care if she broke. She let go of her pride and did something that she never had before, she finally grieved the loss of her husband… her family.

And somewhere, somewhere in the back of her mind she heard a faint, hollow whisper and felt a shiver go down her spine. A smile formed on her grief stricken face and she whispered the words between her sobs, "… Goodbye Cole."

_I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow._

_I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow._

_I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow._

_I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow._

* * *

It was a tough decision but I went with Goodbye My Lover by James Blunt… my other choices were Tonight I Wanna Cry by Keith Urban, and What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts… if you have any comments please review!

Next Chapter we'll see if Phoebe can actually move on .. If so, with who?


	7. Return of the Future

_Hey there! Sorry for the long wait… I hadn't planned on taking this long for an update. Especially considering that I'm not that fond of this chapter… or maybe that explains it. Well I had 3/4 of this chapter wrote for two weeks now but I decided to do some more research, to make this story better because I'm really not enjoying where this story was going. But I got some inspiration and hopefully this story will shape up a lil bit… _

_Just to make some things more clear:_

_-Phoebe does NOT remember her encounter with Cole… her display of emotions towards him in the last chapter were merely built up feelings that she never let out after his and their baby's death. She finally did something that she was never able to do before, which was grieve the loss of him… which would explain why she kept the box of his things in her closet._

_-Leo still has his powers. He did not fall from grace… he just chose Piper over the elders._

_-I kinda forgot to write Drake in, lol, sorry… truth is I never really liked him anyway, but hey, Cole was the one that brought him there so props :P… yeah, sorry to all those Drake fans out there reading, he never got a good sendoff. _

_If you guys still have any questions feel free to ask…_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed... only the dvds :P**

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* * *

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Chapter 7: Return of the Future

Piper sat gracefully in her chair at the kitchen table while feeding Chris who was squirming in his highchair, not willing to swallow any of his cereal. Wyatt sat next to her, picking at the leftover toast on his plate, which held a substantial amount of crust.

"Come on Chris," Piper whined to her son, as he once again orbed the substance in the spoon back into the bowl, "You really need to eat Hunn. And we really need to get those powers under control. Who knew you would grow into them so quickly, while I am thrilled that you are least getting the cereal into the bowl now instead of the floor," she attempted to feed the infant yet again.

Chris shook his head, Piper pouted, "Look, your brother is eating his!" She looked to her other son's plate and added, "Well most of it, which is more than we can say for you."

Chris, defeated, ungratefully accepted the cold matter that was being placed in his mouth, while most did end up on his face. Paige walked into the kitchen and immediately poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Good morning," Piper greeting, then seeing the look on her sisters face added, "or not-so-good?"

"Yeah, I didn't get much sleep. A soft sobbing noise kept me awake."

"You heard it too huh?"

"Yup. Any idea what it was about?"

"Not a clue. I heard something crash too, I was gonna check on her, but when I opened the door she was next to her bed crying. I think she wanted to be alo-" Piper stopped talking when she saw Phoebe walk into the room.

"Hey, don't let me stop you from talking 'bout me," Phoebe commented, unusually perky. She was a totally different sight than what Piper or Paige would have expected. No puffy eyes, hair perfectly done, designer clothes, and a smile planted on her face, and as far as either of her sisters could tell, it wasn't one of Phoebe's famous fake smiles.

"Sorry," Paige began to apologize, "We were just worried about you… you know, after last night."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I found some old stuff and it just brought up a lot of emotions. It helped a lot though, to get the emotions out… it felt good."

"What kind of old things did you find," Piper asked.

"Umm…" Phoebe scratched the back of her head and hesitated before stuttering the next line, "S… some of… umm… Co… Cole's old things."

Paige coughed up some of the coffee she had just swallowed, "What! I did not just hear you say that. Phoebe I thought you were over him, like _years_ ago." She emphasized the word 'years'.

"So did I," Phoebe began, "but some part of me held on to him, to what we had. That's why I think I was prone to all the failed relationships, I never completely moved on from Cole. So I could never move on with someone new. Looking through our things last night, it was like losing him again, but this time I took the time to grieve… something I never did before. It all helped me to move on. And I know it isn't going to happen that easily, but it's a start. Part of my heart will always be with Cole, but there's a bigger part of it that I feel I can give to someone else now, and truthfully I can't wait. I can't wait to immerse myself into someone else again. I haven't felt that way in so long."

"Just don't dive too quick," Piper warned, "You could have a hard landing."

"I know," Phoebe gave her a warm smile, "I won't, but thank you so much for caring about me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Piper got up and hugged Phoebe tightly, Phoebe squeezed her right back but also motioned for Paige to join the group hug. Paige joined eagerly.

* * *

Piper collapsed on the bed, she was exhausted. Looking after two children was hard, especially when they had a habit of orbing themselves to every room of the house, expecting their mother to follow them.

Leo walked over to her as she sat up. He rested himself behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her.

"Where are the kids?" he spoke softly.

"Paige and Phoebe said they would take them for the night. They told me that I should take a rest, that I looked exhausted."

"You do."

"Well thanks," Piper said sarcastically, "But truthfully, I feel it too. I don't think I've relaxed for at least a week. Then with almost losing you. Then Phoebe and all her Cole drama. And then taking care of the boys who refuse not to use their powers on top of that, it's been a very long week."

"Cole?"

"Don't ask. I think it's finally over now… Let's just hope so."

"You should get some sleep then, I'll just go." Leo got up and turned off the lamp as Piper nodded her head. He gently placed a kiss on Piper's forehead as she laid down. As he rose his own head, she grabbed hold of his shirt collar, causing his lips to come crashing down onto hers. He climbed on top of her and propped himself up on one arm while never breaking contact. She wrapped her arms around his head pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. Soon Leo broke the passionate kiss, not knowing what had taken over, "I thought you were going to get some sleep?"

Piper replied seductively, "Suddenly not so tired," as she pulled her husband into her again.

-----

"Where's the ball, Chris? Where is it?" Paige taunted, but instead of Chris looking for the ball he orbed it into his hand.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but successful none the less," Paige laughed and continued, "Just as long as it's your toys and not your food… or dragons for the matter." Wyatt looked in her direction, an evil grin playing on his face.

Paige then looked over at Phoebe who was sat, staring out the window of the children's nursery, "A penny for your thoughts." Paige started the conversation.

"Well first off, they say, 'A penny for your thoughts', and then they turn around and say, 'You put your two cents in'. I mean, what happens to the extra cent?"

"Phoebe, you're rambling. Now tell me what's really up."

"I don't know Paige… Truthfully, I've been thinking about that premonition I had. I mean, how long am I gonna have to wait for my life to start happening?" Phoebe pouted, "And I never got to say goodbye to Drake."

"Oh my god, Drake! I totally forgot about that! I know you guys were close… how are you dealing with it?"

"Okay I guess. We did get close but it's not like anything could have happened between us anyway. He had to leave and that was it."

Paige walked over and wrapped her arms around her sister, embracing her in a comforting hug.

"It'll be okay though. Drake enjoyed his time here, and I like to think that I helped with that. But I just don't know what to do next. I feel like I'm this whole new person and I don't have the owner's manual read yet." Phoebe whined.

Paige laughed at Phoebe's comment then said, "I'm sure you'll do alright without an owner's manual. Just remember. Keep moving forward. After so long you'll get where you want to be."

"Hey you just heard that off _George Shrinks_ today!" Phoebe replied and began to laugh, as did Paige.

"Well they are educational programming! You have to learn something from it right?" Paige continued to laugh as she bent down to pick up Wyatt who had fallen asleep watching the television.

"Yeah, I guess so. But that's enough about my love life, or lack there of… What's going on with you and Kyle?" Phoebe raised an eyebrow as Paige grinned, yet remained silent. "Wellllll?"

'Phoebe was never the one with patience,' Paige thought as she laid Wyatt is his bed and checked on Chris, who also had fallen asleep, "It's nothing really," she insisted, "I needed help, and I knew he would come through. I didn't know who else to call for."

"Yeah, but there must have been something there, for him to come into your mind." Phoebe loved to push her sister like this. She knew that Paige still felt something for Kyle, and Phoebe didn't know why she wouldn't act on her feelings. So if Phoebe could push her in the right direction, even a little bit, it would all be worth it. Maybe it could make up for the loss of her own love life, or at least earn her some good karma.

Paige just shrugged, "Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. We never really got the chance to talk about things. Right after we found Piper and Leo he had to take care of a charge. But he said he would be back, I just have no idea when. And what would I even say to him, 'Well, seeing as though you're not dead…'"

"Just say whatever is in your heart, because there is no doubt in my mind that he feels the same way. Just go for it."

"Spoken like a true advice columnist. You know, someday you're gonna have to start listening to your own advice. You once told me that you were tired of running, that you didn't want to do it anymore. So stop running Phoebe. Go after what you want."

Phoebe looked away as a plan was beginning to develop in her mind, as were the words beginning to come together. Phoebe glanced at her sister and smiled, "Thanks Paige." She stood up and began to walk out of the room until Paige spoke up.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"After what I want," Phoebe added with a confident smile as she left the room.

"Good for you Phoebe," Paige whispered to herself.

* * *

Phoebe made her way to the attic. She had her plan completely developed in her mind and she needed to do it right at that moment. 'Hopefully I won't need the power of three,' she thought.

She grabbed two white pillar candles from the old chest, placed them on the table and lit them. She then wrote a spell on a piece of parchment and placed it over the two flames. While the parchment began to burn she chanted,

_Spirit forces hear my plea  
__Reaching out through land and sea  
__Be he far, or be he near  
__Bring to me, my true love here_

Phoebe closed her eyes and waited. She knew from experience that once things were summoned, they appeared almost instantly. Then she thought to herself, 'what if this guy doesn't know I'm magical? How do I explain all this to him? Or what if I don't even know him yet?' Okay, so she hadn't thought this part of her plan out perfectly, but it was done now and there was nothing she could do to reverse it.

She opened her eyes, yet nothing was there. 'Crap', she thought. Maybe she did need the power of three. She turned to walk through the doors of the attic but she stopped when she noticed that something was appearing in the attic. Not in a mass of swirling white lights like she would have expected, but a glowing red light. The man soon appeared fully, in a red buttoned shirt and a pair of light tan slacks, with a huge smile on his face. A man Phoebe hadn't seen in years, a man which also brought a smile to her face.

She ran into his outstretched arms and gave him a hug that was worth the five years since she had seen him last.

"Oh my God! Cupid! It's sooo great to see you!" She screamed then added with a whisper, "I missed you."

"Hi Phoebe," she spoke quietly with his eyes closed, savoring her touch, "I missed you too."

Someone else had appeared in the room as well, unseen by Phoebe, but in a swirl of white lights. Unsure of what was going on, he looked around and saw them. He stood, watching, as the love of his life affectionately wrapped her arms around another man.

* * *

You can throw the tomatoes now! Sorry... but it's just another bump in the road for Phoebe and Cole. Ohhh and just to let you guys know, this cupid is the one from season 2... i always liked him better than Coop from season 8, but thats just me...

Please review! Even the bad stuff... Hopefully i'll have another update soon.

xoxo Britt


	8. All I Am Is The Invisible Man

_Hey guys! Me again… I know a lot of you probably didn't like last chapter but have no fear… they will get their happily ever after. It just will take some time. Another Songfic Chapter for you guys!_

_Okay and the thing about Cupid… I kinda needed to put in someone Phoebe already knew, and knew about her being a witch. I felt that it wouldn't make sense to bring in someone who Phoebe had never seen before._

_I recently watched Season 5 of Charmed again … well the episodes with Cole anyway and it really pissed me off at how they treated his character. So I'm a little depressed at the moment after watching Centennial Charmed… Hopefully it wont come out too much in my writing :P_

_Thanks for the reviews guys! Keep em coming!_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed or any of it's characters… nor due I own the song the song used in this chapter _

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Chapter 8: All I Am Is The Invisible Man**

_Every time I think of you  
__I always catch my breath  
__I'm still standing here  
__And your miles away  
__And I wonder why you left_

Cole watched as Phoebe left the attic, arm in arm with the cupid. Tears glistening in his eyes as he overcame the initial shock of what had just happened. He knew that she had summoned him. The white lights and the echoing chant in his head kind of gave it away. But he could still hear those words… those last words that brought him to her: '_Bring to me my true love here'_. It left him speechless.

So he really was her true love? He had begun to wonder over the years if their love had really been true. Though their encounter had proved it in some sense for him, there was a big part of him that was steadily growing which knew that they would never be together again, seeing as though she was moving on with the cupid and he was… well… dead. That kinda puts a stopper on your relationship, Cole thought. He was summoned though… he had came upon her command.

The only part that had gone wrong was that she couldn't see him. After all she had gone through, he was still stuck in the separate plane. He also didn't understand why that goddamn cupid was there. Coincidence, maybe? Cole didn't think so. He had been around in the magical world long enough to know that everything happened for a reason. Something wasn't right. And for some reason, the Elders were instantly brought to his mind.

_And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight_

He swore to himself, and the love that he shared with Phoebe, that he would find out what was going on, and hopefully find a way back to her… someway… somehow he'd make it back to her arms.

* * *

Phoebe led Cupid to her bedroom. She wanted to wait until morning to tell her sisters that she had summoned the guy she was meant to be with. Maybe it was because she wanted to spare the whole personal gain speech for a few hours? Maybe it was because she wanted to catch up with this guy who had to leave her five years ago? Phoebe wasn't so sure, but hell, what exactly was she sure about the past couple days? She was just following her instincts, or at least trying to.

_I hear your name in certain circles  
__And it always makes me smile  
__I spend my time thinking about you  
__And its almost driving me wild_

Once they had both awkwardly situated themselves on her bed, they sat, staring at each other silently. She didn't know what made the encounter feel so odd. Yes, she hadn't seen him in so long, and so much had happened since then, but he was Cupid, he probably knew her better than anyone ever did. Not everyone, she thought as she criticized herself mentally.

She smiled as she remembered how she and Cole once knew each other's thoughts. He had probably known her better than her sisters did at most times. They had been so close and it was horrible to think that they had been driven so far apart.

"It's great that you're thinking about Cole in a good way again." said Cupid breaking the silence after what felt like hours.

_But its my heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight_

"Pardon Me?"

"You're thinking about Cole. And not in the distrusting way that you used to. You're thinking about when the two of you were at your best."

Phoebe looked him in the eyes and spoke with the utmost sincerity, "How can you know so much about me when I know absolutely nothing about you?"

"Of course you know me Phoebe. You've known me for years. I'm that feeling you get when you think about Cole. I'm that feeling that sparks in your soul when you envision his face. We both know that that feeling hasn't went away even after all these years. But hopefully… ," he brought a hand to her face and cupped her cheek. It surprised him when she didn't pull away, "hopefully, I can also be the feeling that you, one day, get when you look at me."

_And I ain't missin' you at all  
__Since you've been gone away  
__I ain't missin' you  
__No matter what I might say_

Phoebe took his face in her hands and brought it closer to hers so that their lips could softly connect, telling him all that she could with one simple gesture. Tonight she didn't want her visions clouded with thoughts of Cole. Tonight she wanted her thoughts to remain with this godly being, who was the epiphany of love, in many more ways than one.

* * *

Cole appeared in the Mausoleum seconds after leaving the manor. He didn't know exactly what he was doing but he knew he could rely on someone to help him.

_There's a message in the wires  
__And I am sending you a signal tonight  
__You don't know how desperate I've become  
__And It looks like I'm losing this fight_

So he hadn't been completely honest with Phoebe about his afterlife, but they didn't have enough time for chit chat. The truth was he had connections… strong connections. Maybe not strong enough to get him out of his plane, but strong enough to maybe influence separate planes. He hadn't exactly practiced enforcing these connections given the fact that he still felt some guilt after using every trick in the book (perhaps even the ones that were too ghastly to even be mentioned in the book) to get Phoebe back while he was still alive.

All this didn't matter now. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"PRUE!" Cole called at the top of his lungs, "PRUE! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

An angelic figure with long dark hair and piercing eyes was cast down in a ray of white lights. Though however beautiful she may have looked, an annoyed expression was set upon her face.

"What is it Cole?" she looked at him, with one eyebrow arched.

"What are _they_ up to with Phoebe?" Cole sounded extremely bitter, though he did not mean to sound this way. He only wanted to expose the truth.

"_They_ who?" Prue acted as if she had no idea who Cole was talking about but she knew exactly who Cole was referring to.

"Damn it Prue! You know exactly who the hell I'm talking about! She summoned me! Did you know that! But that moron showed up at the same time!"

"Calm down Cole!"

"I will not!" he started but Prue shot him a menacing look which automatically told him to shut up.

_In your world, I have no meaning  
__Though I'm trying hard to understand_

"First of all: He is not a moron, he is a cupid. And I actually picked him out myself-"

"Wait, what do you mean picked out!" Cole interrupted, squinting his eyes, as if it would help him to understand the arrangement any better.

"Will you let me get this out!" Cole nodded defeatedly, and let Prue continue, "Okay. Cole, you have to understand that you could only help her so far. Even if I'm not too keen on your methods, you did help her and I'm thankful for that. You helped my baby sister to believe in love again. But that's as far as you can go. You can't be there for her any longer, and that is why the Elders sent someone else for her. Believe me, I dislike this just as much as you do."

"Hardly," Cole contradicted, "So let me get this straight. All this was some plot to get Phoebe to believe in love again?"

"Yes, but I thought you already knew that?"

"I knew that she got attacked by the thorn demons, and I knew what would happen to her afterwards. But you're telling me that even the attack was set up? And that they made sure that I saw it?" Prue merely nodded, "Unbelievable! This is insane! They are turning into the damn Avatars, messing with people's lives like this. It isn't right. What would have happened if her time had run out… if she had to stay? How would the Elders deal with that?"

"They had faith that you would pull through. They knew that you would help her. They counted on it."

Cole laughed sarcastically, "Since when have the Elders _ever_ had faith in me?"

"Well since you were the one that messed her up in the first place, the figured that you would be the one to fix it."

_But it's my heart that's breaking down this long dusty road of mine_

Cole walked around the mausoleum, and fell against the wall. He slowly slid down with his head placed in his hands. He leaned against the crypt where Prue's mortal body lay, "So what am I supposed to do now? Just sit around and watch while the woman I love, starts a life with a fraud. This guy who doesn't really love her… who was just ordered to." his voice came out shaky and full of distain, "She asked me to _let_ her feel, Prue. I don't want some random guy trying to _make_ her feel."

"You're not supposed to do anything about it, Cole. And Cupid, he does love Phoebe. They had this connection. Granted, it wasn't like yours, but it was still there. It was before you came along. That's part of the reason I picked him out. I mean, what better a man to move on with than love himself right?"

"It doesn't make it any easier," Cole removed his hands from his face and looked Prue in the eyes, "And back to that, how did you get mixed up with the Elders anyway? Last time I heard, you were enjoying the afterlife with Grams, Patty, and… what's his name?"

"Andy," Prue answered with a confident grin, "And yes, I was enjoying the afterlife until word spread about what was going on back at home, with the Avatars, Elders, and my family. I just couldn't sit back and watch it all happen. So I went to them, pleaded my case that I was an ex-Charmed one and that they could benefit greatly if I worked with them, and they bought it. At least now, I can still look after my sisters, even if they don't know it."

"Did you have anything to do with what happened to Leo?"

"No, the Elders had their own beef to pick with Leo. I tried to make them stop, but they wouldn't listen. Just like they wouldn't listen when I told them that they shouldn't make this attack happen on Phoebe. All I had influence on was how it all happened. I'm sorry it had to happen this way Cole. I know it couldn't have been easy for you to let her go again," Prue sat down next to Cole, "Especially if what I suspect happened actually did."

Cole turned his head to face Prue, "th… they… you… weren't… umm… watching us, were you?"

"Oh of course not, they're not that perverted. But it's you and Phoebe, Cole. It's not that hard to guess what had happened. Your track record is proof of that."

"But it wasn't like that this time. It was different. I mean, after all this time, I thought she hated me." Tears were once again threatening to fall from Cole's crystal eyes.

"She could never hate you, and you know that! You guys had been through way too much for her to despise you."

"But she should have! Those last few months that I was alive, I put her through HELL. I attempted to take away her whole world, just because she refused to be a part of mine. Just by trying to get her back I pushed her away even further. How could I have been that evil! I even went so far as saying that if I couldn't have her, no one would. I could have killed her," before Cole could get his last word out he choked on a mouthful of tears.

Prue put her arm around her ex-brother-in-law and comforted him as she stroked his shoulder, "You didn't though, and that's all that matters! You could NEVER kill Phoebe, and we both know that. She knows that too." The pitch in Prue's voice became increasingly higher yet stayed intense. She could tell how much this man loved her little sister and it killed her to think that he was doubting that now. Well technically she was already dead, but that was besides the point. "Your love trumped everything else that happened to you guys. The best love is the kind that awakens the soul, and that is what you two had. She brought out the human in you, she taught you how to love."

_And I ain't missin' you at all  
__Since you've been gone away  
__I aint missin' you  
__No matter what my friends say_

"Everything is just taking its toll, you know? The last time we said goodbye, she hated my guts so it was easier to let go. But this time, I know that she loves me. And I know that if I was with her right now, we would have a fighting chance. It makes it all the harder to let go this time."

For moments they sat there silently, not looking at each other or even moving at all. Prue, then, rested her head on Cole's shoulder and spoke softly, "You really miss her, don't you?"

Cole said nothing. He continued to stare at the opposite wall, displaying no aspect of emotion at all.

"Yeah, I do too." Prue replied for him.

It took minutes for Cole to find his voice again, being still shaky he spoke to Prue, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just being here. Who would have known four years ago that we would end up being best friends?" Cole smiled as he said it.

"Okay, don't get ahead of yourself now. I wouldn't put it so far as best friends," Prue giggled, "But I see you for who you really are now. I don't see you as Belthazor anymore. And remember, I witnessed the whole mess with the Source. I know that you always had good intentions with every decision you made. And I think Phoebe knows that now too, maybe that can give you some piece of mind."

"I hope so," Cole turned his attention back to Prue, "So how weird is it that you and I once hated each other, but now you're my second favorite Charmed one?"

"I know, pretty freaky huh? So what's the deal with Piper and Paige again?"

"Truthfully, I have nothing against Piper. She was always supportive of me and Phoebe. But before I was finally vanquished, we kinda had an all out war on each other. Despite the fact that we were both invincible. It didn't stop us from trying." Cole laughed at the thought, "As for Paige, we never really got along from the get go. There was always something that ticked me off about her." Prue began to laugh too.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

Cole looked at Prue questioningly, "Do I sense a touch of resentment there? I noticed earlier that you still referred to Phoebe as being your baby sister."

"I don't know. I love Paige, I really do. Come on, she's my sister. But there is still this part of me that feels she is taking my place somehow. I know that's selfish of me but I don't want them to forget that they also had an older sister."

"They would never let Paige replace you in their hearts and you know that. You will always be their big sister, no matter what. I was there when Phoebe and Piper lost you, and they were a wreck. But when Paige came along, they made sure that there was room in their hearts for the both of you. They made sure that you would never be forgotten."

"I guess I owe you a thank you for that too then."

"You don't owe me anything Prue. You've helped me through this and that is far more than I deserve. But could you do me this one favor? Check on him please"

Prue gave Cole a friendly hug and stood up, "Sure, I have to go anyway. I promised Andy that I would meet with him. You just have to promise me that you will not linger in this moment for too long. It will get easier, you just have to let it."

"Okay." Cole chose not to look at the woman standing in front of him because he wasn't sure if, by looking in his eyes, she could tell that he was lying.

She didn't have to look in his eyes to know.

* * *

Phoebe laid on her bed with Coop's arms draped over her. He had told her that she could call him 'Coop' as sort of a nickname since there were more than one cupid. She liked the name still felt the uneasiness learning that it started with the letter 'C'. She pushed this feeling away and leaned closer into Coop. There was part of her that already loved this man and could see her future with him. Nut his touch, the way placed her head under his chin, the sex, was almost perfect… but not quite.

Just then the man beside her began to move. He opened his eyes to her and smiled.

She whispered sweetly, "Go back to sleep, it isn't nearly time to get up yet."

Coop nodded and closed his eyes again, but pulling Phoebe closer to him. Phoebe couldn't even think of sleep at the moment, she had far too many things on her mind.

_And there's a message that I'm sending out  
__Like a telegraph to your soul  
__And if I can't bridge this distance  
__Honey, stop this heart ache overload_

Cole shimmered into the bedroom and took a glimpse at the scene in front of him. The bed was a mess, there were clothes strewn across the floor, and there she was, tangled in the middle of it all, with the guy's arms around her. If he could actually make contact with that plane he would have strangled the Cupid. He chose instead to focus all his energy on Phoebe. He was sure that it wouldn't work, but what did he have to lose.

"Phoebe," Cole began softly, "Phoebe, can you hear me? Phoebe?"

Phoebe shot up bringing the sheet to cover herself. Her eyes wide and hopeful. Coop followed her, squinting to regulate his eyes to the light.

"What is it? What's wrong," Coop asked.

"I could have sworn…" Phoebe spoke quietly but then turned to Coop, "Nothing… It's nothing. I must have had a nightmare or something. I'm fine. In fact, I can't sleep anyway so I'm just going to go downstairs and get some coffee, okay?"

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No that's fine, you should get some rest. And besides, I haven't exactly figured out what I'm going to tell my sisters about you yet."

"Okay," Coop's voice came out somewhat disappointed.

She gave him a light kiss before leaving the room. Cole followed her.

"Listen Phoebe, You have to realize what is going on here. This is all a set up! That guy is a fraud! Phoebe! Phoebe!"

If Cole had thought he was making progress before, he certainly wasn't now. She hadn't even tensed a muscle when he called he name. This was getting him no where. Maybe Prue was right, maybe he did need to let go… move on. Phoebe seemed to be moving on with her life so why couldn't he? It would just take time. And Cole had all the time in the world… in fact, he had eternity.

_I ain't missin you at all  
__Since you've been gone away  
__I ain't missin' you  
__I keep lying to myself_

* * *

_There you have it.. My longest chapter yet. Hope you liked it! It might be a while before I get another update due to family coming home.. But I will try my best to get some writing in…_

_Your **Reviews are greatly appreciated**! Please Keep em coming!_

_Britt xoxo_


	9. Days Bleeding Into Nights

Hey Guys! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates this past month! It's kinda been a rough one. Lol … But I'm back.. I'm not fond of this chapter though. I feel like I've been going in circles with this story, but hopefully that will change in this chapter or the next.. Stay tuned!

Please Review! I love them, and If I get a lot, it will make the reviews come extra fast .. Lol ..

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed or any of the characters… wish I did though...

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**Chapter 9: Days Bleeding into Nights**

Phoebe sat on the couch, legs propped up, with a coffee mug paced firmly in her grasp. She remained, unmoved, only thinking. Every morning, it seemed, she would wake up before dawn, go downstairs, make her coffee, sit down, and just think. She couldn't sleep anymore.

It seemed that this all started when she had come back from the separate plane. She didn't know why but it all became worse when she summoned Coop, which had been about two months ago. She didn't understand. This was supposed to be the happiest time of her life. Her family would soon be starting. She would soon have the life she had always dreamed about. Why did it feel so wrong to her?

The morning after she summoned Coop, she told her sisters about him. And as she presumed, Piper gave her 40 minute long rant about personal gain. She seemed to warm up to the idea after she saw him again, and witnessed his love for Phoebe. Paige, however, seemed thrilled about it from the get go. She kept telling Phoebe that at least it wasn't a demon. Phoebe pretended that the comment meant nothing to her, but every time her sister said it, Phoebe felt her heart ache.

Phoebe knew that it was her time to be happy, and she was. But she couldn't shake the feeling the she was meant to be happy with the man who she had spent two almost blissful years with, the demon who Paige kept referring to, her one true love.

Maybe that was what was making her uneasy, that she was settling for Coop. Never in a million years did Phoebe think that she would settle. For a while she didn't even think that she _could_ settle down. She was all about hot flings and one-night stands. All that changed when she met Cole. He tamed the inner wild-child in her, and she tamed the inner demon in him. They balanced each other out. And for once, she had found her other half.

But she had failed him. She didn't trust in their love enough to believe that he wasn't evil. Like Barbas had said during the tribunal, "It was Phoebe's cold rejection of Cole's love that made him go crazy". Phoebe couldn't even understand why she was agreeing with a demon at the moment, Barbas especially. But she knew the statement was true. Maybe if she had done something… anything… then she might not be in this predicament. But she let her fear of Cole's demonic nature dictate her choice. She had the choice of believing that their love could conquer all, but she chose to act out of her fear. And that was their demise.

That one word stuck in her mind. Choice. She had a choice now, at this moment. She could choose to do what her mind was telling her, which was to find out what she could have with Coop, and be happy. Or she could choose to follow her heart, which was to su-

"Phoebe?" Coop had walked into the living room and interrupted Phoebe's thoughts, "You're up early."

"Umm, yeah," Phoebe rose from the couch and realized that her coffee was completely cold, which was weird considering that there was over half a cup left. "I couldn't sleep."

"That's the fourth time this week, and its only Wednesday. Are you okay?" Coop asked, concerned.

Phoebe laughed it off, "Of course I'm okay. I've just been thinking about my column. I've been swamped with letters this week. I guess everyone can't be as lucky as me in their love life" Phoebe added cheerfully as she quickly kissed Coop on the cheek on her way to the kitchen, where she emptied her cold coffee down the drain.

Her last statement was far from the truth. In fact, there was a shortage of letters this week. And the majority of those that came in were fan letters, saying how much her advice had helped them. How could she help so many people and not be able to help herself, Phoebe thought sorely.

Coop looked on skeptically. He knew something was up, he could sense it. He chose not to speak on it, for Phoebe would probably just follow it up with more lies. Why was he not getting through to her? He was a Cupid. He thought for sure that he would have her heart by now. He knew that this would be a little harder than most love matches, and he knew that he was already falling for her, and falling hard. But he was sent to help her, and that's what he was going to do, even if it killed him.

"Umm, Phoebe?"

"Yeah Hunn?"

"I'm going to work in a few, so is there anything you need me to do before I go?"

"No, I'm fine," Phoebe responded. She walked away from the kitchen counter and towards Coop with her arms slightly outstretched, to which he graciously walked into.

After a few moments Phoebe backed away awkwardly and muttered, "Have a good day, Coop."

Coop merely nodded, turned around, and vanished, leaving only the image of a heart behind which quickly faded away.

Phoebe sat down on the kitchen chair and placed her head on the table, "What the hell am I doing!" Phoebe exclaimed, a little louder than she should have.

"That's a good question. What _are_ you doing?"

Phoebe looked up to see Piper standing in the doorway with Chris on her hip. Piper tilted her head to one side as if to say, 'Fess up'.

Phoebe glanced around for a quick excuse and out of the corner of her eye she saw the daily newspaper. She grabbed it, and opened to the Arts and Leisure page. "This crossword! It's really tough. I have no idea what I'm even doing!" Phoebe lied through her teeth.

Piper smiled, "Ha ha ha, nice try! You know, I can see your wisdom teeth. Now tell me what's really up."

"Nothing is wrong! What is with you people lately?"

"Phoebe! Get over it! You should know by now that you can't keep a secret long in this house. And plus, I always know when you're lying. You've been going around like a lost little puppy for weeks now! Paige and I have both noticed it, and I'm sure Coop has too. What's going on?"

Phoebe let out a reluctant sigh, "It's Coop. I'm starting to think that I made he wrong decision by summoning him here." She waited for the sympathetic response from Piper.

She didn't get it. Instead, she got a slap upside her head.

"Ouch! What was that for!" Phoebe held the back of her head.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Piper spat out.

"Piper!"

"No, Phoebe! This is your mess! You can't expect to summon the so-called 'love of your life', which may I remind you, has personal gain consequences. Then all-of-the-sudden change your mind and think, 'Oh wait, Coop isn't what I want anymore, maybe I was wrong.' There are other feelings to consider now, Phoebe!"

"I know that, Piper!"

"I'm not finished! What do you expect to do now, huh! Just send him back! Tell him that maybe he's not the right one for you after all! God Phoebe! You can be so selfish sometimes! So tell me exactly what it is you want!"

"I want.." Phoebe started off strongly, but her voice suddenly became lower, "I want to feel butterflies every time I look into his eyes. I want to go weak in the knees when he smiles at me. And I want to forget the world every time I'm with him. But I feel like a horrible person, because I feel none of these things. I know that I love him, but it's just not the same."

"It's not the same as what?" Piper asked, more calmly. Phoebe didn't respond, so Piper continued, "Never mind, I think I already know that answer. You know, you sound like I did when I was with Dan. It seemed that every moment I was with him, I was thinking about Leo."

"What am I going to do Piper?"

"Coop, he's a really great guy! And he really loves you. I say that you should see where this thing can take you. Trust yourself, and him. Other than that, I don't think there is anything else you can do. You've already taken one too many chances. And if you keep knocking on the devil's door, sooner or later someone is gonna answer."

"And we both know who that someone would probably be," Paige spoke, responding to Piper's comment, as she walked into the kitchen, "What's going on?"

Phoebe rested her head in her hands and began to speak to Paige, "I'm not sure if I made the right decision in summoning Coop. I kinda feel like I'm settling."

"And I'm afraid she's going to try some other spell to get what she wants," Piper added.

"Well, it's not like she's gonna raise the dead," Paige said while eating a bowl of cereal she had just made for herself, "I'd say go for it. Buy you know, I think it's always best to _fight_ for what you want, not _chant_ for it. It kinda takes away the whole personal gain mess."

Paige put he empty dishes in the sink and while on her way out of the kitchen she mumbled, "Good Luck!"

"Thanks," Phoebe said as she rolled her eyes, "She seems happier this morning." she commented to Piper.

"Uh huh," Piper raised her eyebrows, "Kyle stayed over."

"Ohh I see" Phoebe grinned, "At least she's happy. I guess two out of three sisters ain't bad, right?"

"Phoebe, you can be happy too. You just have to get rid of the notion that you're life will be the same as it was four years ago. We're not the same people we were back then. That was a whole different life. You want your relationship to go forward. At some point you have to let go of the past and start moving on. "

"I know that Piper. And I promise, I'll try"

Phoebe rose from her seat and the room around her was not as still as it was seconds before. Her head was spinning, and the vague image of Piper was slowly falling away from her and fading into blackness.

------

Phoebe opened her eyes, and adjusted to the light that was streaming around her. She was standing again, and she wasn't at all dizzy. In fact, she felt perfect.

Her head was tilted downward and she could see white and red rose petals strewn across the floor, surrounding her feet, which were delicately placed in a pair of white Jimmy Choo heels with crystal embroidery. She then noticed the stain ivory gown she was wearing. It was absolutely beautiful. It hung from one strap, and it hugged her body perfectly. Her dark hair rested in subtle waves on her shoulders, and she could smell the slight fragrance of lavender.

She didn't understand why she was standing there, why she was in this amazing dress, and why someone was holding her hands in theirs.

Phoebe lifted her head and saw the person standing in front of her, everything became clear. For looking back at her were the pair of bluest eyes she had ever seen. They were cold as ice, yet could warm her heart with just one glance. She knew now why she was standing there.

"Coleridge Turner, do you take Phoebe Halliwell to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, forsaking all others, from this day forward, until death do you part?"

"Beyond death. Always," Cole replied simply with a smile.

The priest continued, Phoebe assumed it was a priest. She hadn't taken her eyes off Cole long enough to look around the room, "And do you, Phoebe Halliwell, take Coleridge Turner to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, forsaking all other, from this day forward, until death do you part?"

"I do," Phoebe said through a grin. But Cole's smile had vanished.

"Ms. Halliwell?" The priest spoke with uncertainty.

"I said I do." Phoebe responded, a little confused by the situation.

"Ms. Halliwell?" The priest said again.

"Phoebe? Are you okay?" Cole asked her with a hopeless look in his once bright eyes.

"I'm fine!" Phoebe began to shout as she closed her own eyes, fearing that tears would soon begin to fall, "I WANT to marry you, Cole!"

"Ms. Halliwell?"

The voice had changed. It was no longer the deep voice of the priest, but a high pitched voice of a lady standing beside her.

Phoebe looked around at her surroundings, and they had totally changed. She was now laying horizontally in a dark room, with her sisters at the foot of the bed she was laying in, and presumably a doctor standing at her left side, who once again spoke up, "Are you okay?"

"Phoebe?" said a small voice filled with concern.

Phoebe followed the voice and she saw him, not Cole, but Coop. Sitting by her side and holding her hand. He was looking at her with that same hopeless look that she had just seen in Cole's eyes.

"I.. I'm fine. I just have a little headache. What am I doing here?"

Piper was the one to respond, "You fell and hit your head. I called Paige and we both thought it was best to take you to the hospital."

"And it was a good thing they did. You suffered from a slight concussion, but there shouldn't be any long term damage. But just to be on the safe side, I think you should stay in overnight." The doctor suggested.

"Are you sure that's necessary, Doctor?" Phoebe asked.

"It's just precautionary. We want to make sure there aren't any side effects."

"Okay, I guess. Is that okay, Piper? Paige?" Phoebe needed to make sure her sisters would be okay is she was away. 'Lord knows what can happen in our household.' Phoebe thought.

"It's fine," Paige said, "Just give us a call if you need us."

Coop had let go of Phoebe's hand and stood up. He kissed Phoebe's forehead and whispered, "If you need me, I'll be here in a flash. Get some rest Phoebe. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," Phoebe whispered back.

Both Paige and Piper hugged Phoebe before the three of them stepped outside of the room. The doctor, however, stayed.

"Is there anything you wanted, Doctor… I'm sorry I never caught your name?"

"Davis, Dr. Davis. And there was something I wanted to discuss with you. I took a blood sample of yours, to find a cause of your fall. And I guess this is a congratulations. You're pregnant Ms. Halliwell."

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Dun Dun Dun…. So there it was .. And sorry, Not much Cole this chapter.. Just needed to get this one out of the way..

Again, I'm sorry for taking so long with this! And I know some of you guys wanna slap me right now … lol …. It'll get better .. I Promise …

Review! ………. Please :(


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